Hard disk drives are commonly used for storing and retrieving digital information using rapidly rotating discs or platters coated with magnetic material. Digital information is transferred between a hard disk drive and a computing device by virtue of an electrical connector forming part of the hard disk drive. Conventional electrical connectors include non-feedthrough connectors (e.g., P2 connectors) and feedthrough connectors.
Feedthrough connectors are defined by a plurality of electrically conductive pins extending from outside a housing of the hard disk drive to within an interior cavity of the hard disk drive. The portion of the pins external to the housing are electrically coupled to a mating electrical connector of a computing device, while the portion of the pins internal to the housing are electrically coupled to various components of the hard disk drive. Feedthrough connectors are retained in place on the housing by applying a layer of adhesive or weldment, such as solder, on the housing and around the connector.
Some conventional feedthrough connectors include a base that retains the pins in place, and a skirt that extends about the periphery of the base. The base is made from an electrically non-conductive material, such as glass, and the skirt is commonly made from a metallic material. Traditionally, the base has a square-shaped or rectangular-shaped outer periphery, and the skirt has a correspondingly square or rectangular shape. Such a shape is particularly susceptible to cracking or separation between the connector and the housing due to the formation of stress risers at the corners of the base. As the interior of the hard disk drive heats up during operation of the hard disk drive, the base tends to expand and the housing tends to contract, which promotes the formation of stress risers at the corners of the base.
Due to the quantity of pins relative to the size of the base, the base of conventional feedthrough connectors, particularly those made from glass, is necessarily quite thin. Because the base is thin, the amount or thickness of solder applied to the connector to retain it in place on the housing is limited. Unfortunately, a thinner solder joint with less solder weakens the seal between the solder and the connector. In an attempt to strengthen the seal, some conventional feedthrough connectors employ a skirt with an increased height to facilitate thicker solder joints with more solder. However, such feedthrough connectors are configured and assembled in a manner that promotes the splashing of solder onto an interior surface of the base. Splashed solder on the base may act to inadvertently electrically couple adjacent pins, which can lead to a short-circuit of the connector and a defective hard disk drive.